Ohio judge ready to rule on provisional ballots

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A federal judge is preparing to rule on requests to change how flawed provisional ballots are counted in Ohio.

At issue are provisional ballots that are cast not just in the wrong precinct but the wrong polling location altogether, and identification that voters are required to use when signing provisional ballot forms.

U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley says he plans to announce his decision in both cases Wednesday afternoon.

A lawyer for Ohio's secretary of state told Marbley in a court hearing earlier Wednesday that creating new rules for poll workers on handling provisional ballot identification could create Election Day chaos.

A lawyer representing a union suing for clearer provisional ballot rules argued the fix was simple and wouldn't create problems.